Why?

This blog comes with a “read at your own risk” warning; “contents may be boring or arguable.” Yet, I cannot shake the need to put it down on cyber paper. The stanzas, below, were written by an unknown author and were part of an email forward that has probably bounced all over the country, but recently became the opening to Father M’s homily. It struck a chord with me and I want to repeat it here rather than toss it away as I do most forwards, usually before I even open them. For me, this one bears thinking about, at least for a moment, because it touches on attitude. And, let’s face it, our attitudes have a lot to do with how we perceive the world and how we choose to react.

Life hurts. It’s hard and painful and unfair and wonderful all in the same breath. And as we live out each day trying to overcome hurdles and make some sense of the turmoil, we turn either gratefully, hopefully, or angrily to whomever we feel might be responsible; in my case, God. How many prayers have I started with, “What are you THINKING!?” Needless to say, those are the rather one-sided conversations that omit the formality of beginning with the Sign of the Cross and can probably be heard across heaven because of the shouting level of my mental voice. Some people give up on a Creator who can allow bad things to happen; who does not seem to love us enough to stop famine, death, and disease. Others, like me, just struggle to keep trusting that there is a just reason beyond our limited, human understanding why one friend dies of the same cancer that another friend survived, or why any four-year-old is allowed to die of Leukemia.

My life has been easy compared to many others, but, so far, in my darkest moments I have been able to choose faith as my reaction. Anything else seems to lead to bitterness and I don’t want that for myself so I choose to do the best that I can and trust that God does love us enough to take care of the rest. I may not have a choice in everything that happens in this life, but I can choose my attitude towards it and my reaction. That being said, as far as where I am in my journey on this earth, I must also add that I see some truth dancing through the following words:

God Said No.

I asked God to take away my habit.
God said, No. It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, No. His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary.

I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No. Patience is a byproduct of tribulations; it isn’t granted, it is learned.

I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, No. I give you blessings; happiness is up to you.

I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No. Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No. You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.

I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said, No. I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things.

I asked God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me.
God said, Ahhhh, finally you have the idea!